Spiritual Awareness

Awareness Essay

Rev. Sue Bellworthy

1.      A new spiritual awakening is occurring in our culture, an awakening brought about by a large group of individuals who recognize their lives as a spiritual unfolding, a journey in which we are led forward by mysterious circumstances. What sense of Awareness can be gained by adopting the First Insight into your present lifestyle? 

The first insight tells us that there are no coincidences,; instead there are mysterious forces surrounding us which affect our lives and that by becoming aware of these, we can mold our lives into a more productive and satisfying form. We are not victims of fate, for we have the power to change our lives. The skill is in recognizing the external forces and using these in a positive manner rather than allowing them free-rein over us. We need to learn to listen to that inner voice of intuition. There have certainly been many occasions when I failed to heed that inner voice and later wished that I had. So, for me, I will use the first insight to bring me a greater awareness of those things beyond the physical that impact on our lives. I shall develop that inner voice of intuition and shall learn to listen to it, and I shall use all these things to guide my spiritual growth and practice, drawing on all these forces so that I might use them in a good and positive way.

2.      This awakening represents the creation of a new, more complete worldview, which replaces a five-hundred-year-old preoccupation with secular survival and comfort.  While this technological preoccupation was an important step, our awakening to life coincidences is opening us up to the real purpose of human life on this planet and the real nature of our universe.  How or when did you begin to question traditional religious views?  What, if any, reactions did those around you have to those questions you posed?                                                                        

I suppose that I have always been unhappy with traditional religion although it took me a long time to find the path that suited me. It was really thanks to the internet that this finally became possible. The traditional view of an aged God in human form controlling our lives in the manner of the Olympian Gods was an awkward concept, as was the view that man held superiority over all other things – which I found an arrogant attitude. I was also aware of the hypocrisy among many church goers who viewed themselves as "good Christians" but didn't show it in their behaviour. I had always felt closest to deity outside, in the wonder of the whole of creation, for that is where the wonder of deity is to be found. Turning away from the supposed mainstream religion is never easy, and, like many, I have kept my religious and spiritual life secret. Many are too quick to judge, too unwilling to understand other faiths and it is safer to avoid precipitating prejudice. This xenophobic attitude permeates so much of society and is the cause of so much violence, discrimination and war. It is time that society as a whole opened its eyes and adopted a new, accepting and peaceful attitude. Maybe one day it will come, but for now it is a distant dream.

3.      Too often humans cut themselves off from the greater source of this energy and so feel weak and insecure.  To gain energy we tend to manipulate or force others to give us attention and thus energy.  When we successfully dominate others in this way, we feel more powerful, but they are left weakened and often fight back. Competition for scarce human energy is the cause of all conflict between people.  Discuss the lessons of the Fourth Insight in how it affects your life.  What does this Insight teach you about the reasons why humans treat each other in such a violent manner? 

The fourth insight teaches us about power, what it is and how we use it for good or ill. But it shows us that we can gain energy and power without drawing it from others, and it shows us how to avoid being drained by other people. There was a recent re-run of a 1960s experiment which had demonstrated how much people enjoy torture. Sadly, the new experiment produced exactly the same results – a sad reflection on humanity. The quest for domination is seen everywhere – within families, within communities, in the work place, among world leaders, and even in the playground. No part of life is exempt. And yet we do not need to follow this route, nor do we need to lay ourselves open to the psychic vampires, or just give too much of ourselves (my usual action). By thinking about our actions, by connecting with the spiritual world, by generating power within and using appropriate shielding, we can gain all the power we need without harm to anyone, and we can protect ourselves from others.   But we need to go one step further, we need to show others how to act in a similar way and this is the long, slow process, but it is something that I am actively trying to do even if it is sadly often a case of "preaching to the converted", there are moments of breakthrough.

4.      Insecurity and violence end when we experience an inner connection with divine energy within, a connection described by the mystics of all traditions.  A sense of lightness -- buoyancy -- and the constant sensation of love are measures of this connection.  If these measures are present, the connection is real.  If not, it is only pretended.  What method would you use to assist a congregant in learning how he/she can open and share positive energy with others?  Give example of how and when they can do this.

There are so many ways of gaining this connection. One method I use is through guided meditation, taking the congregant on a soft and spiritual journey, in which they can begin to experience that divine connection for there is that moment when conscious visualisation takes on a life of its own and becomes true connection with the divine. Giving the congregant an experience of this connection and the ability to achieve it for themselves is an important first step, but is not the only one. I would also work through prayer – not the ones repeated mindlessly by rote, but new prayers worked out with the congregant that are meaningful. Often saying these regularly and meaningfully with the aid of prayer beads can take the individual to that place of divine connection. As with all things, practice is essential and the connection will become faster and stronger with time. As for sharing with others, the congregant will notice that others are automatically affected simply by the change in his/her attitude, and in his/her energy and aura. The congregant may well be drawn to share the techniques, but this may not always be appropriate and often it is best to simply let the energies flow as they will, rejoicing in their own new-found spiritual place and allowing the benefits of that to filter through to others.

5.      Knowing our personal mission further enhances the flow of mysterious coincidences as we are guided toward our destinies.  First we have a question, then dreams, day-dreams, and intuitions lead us toward the answer, which usually are synchronistically provided by the wisdom of another human being. For you as a minister, what is the lesson found in the Seventh Insight. And how will you use this knowledge in your work?

The seventh insight teaches me that all things have purpose and that we are masters of our own destiny. All the strange coincidences and synchronicities in our lives are meaningful and may be used for positive gain. Whether these guidances come from the divine or via another person is immaterial, the important thing is to connect with all that is happening and to direct it to the desired outcome. As a minister, I shall use the lessons of the seventh insight to guide my spiritual development and my ministry. I shall learn to form a greater connection with these forces, to draw on them and to use them wisely. Through them I shall pass on the benefits to my  congregants. The seventh insight is a learning process, and is one that is very important. Like all the insights I shall adopt it and work with it to achieve maximum benefit. 

6.                  As we all evolve toward the best completion of our spiritual missions, the technological means of survival will be fully automated as humans focus instead on synchronistic growth.  Such growth will move humans into ever-higher energy states, ultimately transforming our bodies into spiritual form and uniting this dimension of existence with the afterlife dimension, ending the cycle of birth and death.  How will society change in the coming millennium as a result of the growth in awareness and conscious evolution?  What is the reason for people being here on this planet?  What is the spiritual intent and meaning of life?

If the growth in awareness and conscious evolution continues and gathers pace we can hope to see a new awakening, a new dawn of greater peace and understanding, a new world of light and happiness. I hope with all my heart that we will reach this stage and will do all I can to aid this process. As for our purpose on this planet. The lesson teaches that we are here to take part in the cosmic evolution and to teach less developed souls than ourselves, taking them towards this awakening. My own view is that we are also here as guardians of our planet – not as masters but rather as caretakers, a role at which we have so far failed miserably. The human mind is yet poorly developed. Research has shown that we use only a minute percentage of the mind power available to us. What wonders will be achieved if we can tap into this enormous resource, how will we and our planet develop as a result? But it is important that this resource is used for good, and maybe this is why the awakening is so slow. It is our job to guide this process through our ministry. What is the spiritual intent and meaning of life? Some would say it is to reach the ultimate state of enlightenment. Maybe this is so, but I believe that we also need to make a positive impact during our lives on our planet and others. We are part of the plan for true cosmic and global awareness. In our ministry we need to foster this development, and we must learn to maintain and strengthen that link with the cosmic energy and with deity.

7.      What is the idea behind becoming multi-sensored beings?  How can you achieve that personally and how can all the lessons in this course help you in your life both as an individual on your own spiritual journey, and as a minister working with congregants in your capacity as a spiritual counselor? There is more to the world than our 5 senses can show us, and as a result there is so much that we are missing. Learning to use our other occult senses is an important step in spiritual development – allowing us to connect to deity, to the planet and to human awareness, and bring about positive change in ourselves, in others and in our world. The lessons in this course have been a revelation, clarifying some things that I had figured out for myself, and bringing multiple other new insights and viewpoints. Our spiritual journeys are ongoing, and these lessons will continue to help me as I progress on my own journey. It is through the practice and understanding of the insights that I can create a new inner awareness and strength, and use this to guide and strengthen my ministry. The lessons in the course have provided many ideas that are adaptable for spiritual lessons in my ministry and has sparked ideas for many more. My goals are both personal spiritual growth and assisting others to achieve their growth; to work towards peace and to protect our world. These insights will aid that process.

 

8.      Overall, what have you taken from these lessons?  Discuss the various activities and your reaction to them.  Which ones do you feel were most effective, and which, if any, would you consider using in your work with your congregants?

Overall, the lessons have given me another viewpoint, another way of looking at things and so have made clear many things that were previously hazy. The insights are something I shall keep with me always, building on them and growing with them.

There were so many superb activities that it is hard to choose between them and I believe that all will find their place. Examples are the techniques for teaching children, the assignment for capturing a moment of joy and holding onto that feeling, drawing it from the memory and feeling it again; or the exercise teaching increased awareness – of messages, of energy of others, of the whole pattern of life, or the dream work, the practice of mindfulness, the awareness of fears, the awareness of things that influence personal energy flow. All these techniques are perfect to incorporate into spiritual practice, either directly or after adaptation. They all make small and simple exercises that can be slipped into the general lesson, allowing them to work on the subconscious, while bringing the conscious mind to bear. This has been  an outstanding course – my appreciation to ULC and to the course author.

May blessings surround you and your families.

**********************

Ordination with the Free Online Ordination button.

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Spirituality

Dr. of Spirituality Essay: What I have learned in this course. (Looking for the truth in the spiritual world) My father once said to me: Son, always remember that learning never ends - no matter how old you get. Now I am 56 and I have to admit that my father was right. We live in a cruel world, lies at every corner and most of them blend-in perfectly with what we like to hear and our views of how the would 'ought' to be. For 2,000 years we are being told that there is only one savior `Jesus Christ`. Wars are being fought because we need to defend our countries. Religious wars are being fought to 'defend' our different Gods, given or assigned to us by our churches, who like to dominate us just as governments for their political wars. Who can you actually trust ? We are all the same humans, brothers and sisters indeed. And there is only one God in Heaven and this God`s name we do not need to know and neither do we need to kill each other in His name. We are the ones who have given this God different names, beside the other Gods who visited Earth, self-proclaimed Gods, Gods made by humans, Holy messengers and Prophets. Who is the real God ? There can be only one real God in Heaven and that is the almighty God and His name is God (in English) and in another language you might call him differently. How much do we know about Jesus Christ (New testament) and (Old testament) Joseph in fact / ? What about all the other Gods (whose names I will not mention now), are they fake Gods or fake Sons of Gods ? Certainly not ! What about the great (Genesis) flood / And, what about the Epic of Gilgamesh (around 2,600 BC) ? What about Moses (Sargon), and all the other `moses-like-human prophets before; in Babylon it was Nemo (10 tablets) in India it was Manou (10 tablets) in Crete it was Minos (10 tablets) in Egypt it was Moses (10 tablets) ... and have you ever sought about the ending in our prayers: AMEN ? Where does it come from and what does it actually mean ? Are we worshiping Amen-Ra / Sun-God ? Are we really knowing the truth about Earth and Humans and their Gods, or are we just living in a great Disney Land ? Is everything just developed for political reasons so that religion can be used for slavery ? Religion is a myth indeed, it is not debatable nor questionable, it is divine authority. At young age I quit religion and I found it again through the ULC, especially the Spiritual course they offered. In the end that is all I had left, a broken-view regarding religion and belief. All there was left in me was the Spiritual belief. It is rather difficult to build-up that belief without some help of an spiritual advisor. Then the praying, we all pray for so much, but then is it right to pray that much ? And what kind of prayer is correct ? To whom should we pray ? Beside weddings I do counseling of all kinds and children support, visit hospitals and prisons were I meet all kind of different nationals and human characters. I do not use the cross, of course when I am forced to use it then inside my heart I think of Jesus Christ but still fighting with my inner-self then. I rather wear a pair of praying hands instead of a cross. Spiritual belief in the (Nameless) Almighty God is my belief and I consider myself an International Christian who welcomes all Gods and all other Religions for the purpose of uniting all humans together again. The Free-Will being given of being able to choose an religion (Universal religious belief) and practicing it as granted to me by the ULC means a lot to me and the most-high in heaven will certainly agree to that. Arguing about religion is a waste of time, since all religious books are either partially incorrect, misinterpreted and anyway are not fully proven to be correct. Better be spiritual and study about Astronomy, Astrology and Archeology and really help-out others and then you will be on the right track. Most of the people say they are spiritual, because they do not know anything about religion, neither won`t have anything to do with it for personal or other reasons. The question is just `Do They Understand Spirituality` ? Maybe 90% does not. Rev. Dr. Loretta Siani has been a helping hand to me with her lessons, Spiritual prayers and the deeper meaning of it. Of course not everything is according my spiritual belief, what she has taught me, but she awakened inside me the deeper free-spiritual thinking and in the end that is all I hoped to happen. Reading, learning, processing and sorting-out with a clear and free-thinking and feeling mind is important in order to evolve to the next spiritual step (per aspera ad astra). No human is perfect, no book is correct but we can correct our current dependent mind (s) and thinking as long as we keep ourselves open and uninfluenced to choose a new or different way of thinking according our heart and independent open mind. Whatever we read or study does not mean that we have to accept everything what is written or being said, but without studying and freely considering a learning process is not possible. Spirituality is something you can not touch, not buy, not be given to but only slowly learn through study and life experiences and an open mind and an clean heart, otherwise the spiritual picture will not be visible and the guideline is not there. I like to thank the ULC and Dr. Siani for their kind support till now and I like to encourage my other Pastor-Reverend brothers here on Earth to keep an open mind and always consider the cost of misusing the most powerful weapon `Religion` in the name of our most high GOD. Blessed are those who spiritually support their brothers and sisters. Brother Georg - Japan

*******************************

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have various classes in Christianity, one on Wicca, along with several Pagan courses, more than a few courses about Metaphysics with more being added regularly.

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free, legal and lasts for life, so please take advantage of our Free Online Ordination.

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of minister supplies.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and am proud to have started the Seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Spiritual Awareness

The Insight Into Awareness course is based on the ten insights presented in the Celestine Prophecy. It is a wonderful course that can be easily applied to provide intense spiritual growth. I loved this course!

The First Insight is the awakening. It talks about an awakening that is currently occurring on the planet. There is a critical mass of people who are experiencing their lives as a spiritual unfolding through meaningful and mysterious coincidences. As we begin to pay attention to the coincidences, we notice more of them. This is the realization that the divine is leading us in a particular direction to fulfill our mission. Many times we do not recognize the “blessing in disguise” until later. An example in my life was when I decided to take a class in herbal medicine. I loved it and thought it was fun, so I became involved in an herbal apprenticeship class for 7 months. I still wanted to know more after that 7 month class, so I decided to look for a degree program and found one that fit my needs (and budget). Five years later, I have a doctorate in natural health and will open a business in a few years when the finances allow for it. This will help me fulfill my mission of helping others with their health and stress.

The Second Insight is called the “longer now”. People are becoming more aware of the purpose of our lives on this planet and the real nature of the universe. We are spiritual beings with a spiritual nature. This new focus replaces the preoccupation with technology and the gaining of material comforts. In the past, I was always focused on my career, being promoted and being a super-achiever. At a point in time (when my Dad passed away), I became much more focused on spirituality. My focus increased considerably when my mother passed away a couple of years later.

The Third Insight is about energy and the fact that our universe is composed of dynamic energy, not matter as we had previously thought. This energy is sacred and through projections, people can focus this energy and increase the number and pace of the coincidences. Wherever we focus our energy, is where the energy flows. I became aware of this truth with my Reiki training and am now a Reiki master. With the constant use of Reiki, my understanding of this truth expands.

The Fourth Insight makes us aware that we are in a struggle for power. Too often we cut ourselves off from the source of energy. We tend to compete for other people’s energy by wanting attention. This competition for scarce human energy is what causes conflict. This insight explains why there is conflict within families—especially between parents and children.

The Fifth Insight teaches us that when we tap the source of divine energy within us, all of the conflict and violence ceases. This is the message of the mystics. Once we make this connection, we feel light and a constant sensation of love. I have found one way of making this connection is through meditation and Reiki.

The Sixth Insight show us when we tend to lose connection… usually when we are under stress. We become aware of when we manipulate other people’s energy and steal it. The more we become aware of when we are connected and when we lose connection, the more connected we will stay.

We also must recognize what our parents gave us, how we are using it and then clear the past so we can eliminate our control dramas. This opens us up to aligning with our spiritual path more clearly. I find I lose connection when under stress. I am trying to become more aware of every situation in which I do this.

The Seventh Insight is about engaging the flow of energy once we become aware of our personal mission. Once we are in the flow of energy, the coincidences increase, we daydream and have meaningful dreams to find answers to our questions. At some point there will be synchronicities that when we have a question, it will be answered intuitively by another person. This has occurred for me on several occasions. Usually, the answer comes from my husband a day or so before I ask the question!

The Eight Insight teaches us the interpersonal ethic and how to conduct our relationships. We need to uplift everyone that comes into our lives and be careful not to lose our inner connection with our romantic relationships. It is easy to become co-dependent on another’s energy. It teaches how to project energy to others and handle family situations. This is one insight that I will use from now on.

The Ninth Insight is about our evolution to spiritual beings through synchronistic growth and attainment of higher energy states. We will eventually end the cycle of birth and death and will unite the afterlife dimension with the physical dimension of earth. I work with Reiki to continually attain higher energy states.

The Tenth Insight is about fulfilling our birth vision in remembering how to live this spirituality on earth. This spirituality is what all humans have strived to accomplish. Once we remember that we are here on assignment, we will pull a fuller vision of what we wanted to accomplish while on earth and be able to live it. I have the vision of what I wanted to accomplish and that is helping others through counseling. Living it on a daily basis is a challenge.

As I have a strong interest in the Celestine Vision, I went a little further and found that there is now an Eleventh Insight that talks about extending prayer fields. Every religion and sacred writing refers to the power of prayer, positive thinking, etc. Using a prayer form of holding a vision of intention for a spiritual world, we are helping to transform the world into spiritual form. I have been participating in a global prayer forum where many people hold a positive vision for the world together.

There is a Twelfth Insight under development. Stay tuned!

*******************************

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have various classes in Christianity, one on Wicca, along with several Pagan courses, more than a few courses about Metaphysics with more being added regularly.

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free, legal and lasts for life, so please take advantage of our Free Online Ordination.

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of minister supplies.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and am proud to have started the Seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Spirituality Course

Defining Spiritualism is a very insightful course that gives a terrific overview of how various philosophies have influenced religion and how such extremes in thought developed. It is very helpful in understanding others and how to minister to them – especially those with a more scientific worldview.

The lesson on atheism was very interesting. I always wondered how people could hold this philosophy and where it came from. This philosophy is based on an extreme view of science, and assumes that nothing exists outside of our five senses. It does not recognize our spirit or unconscious mind. It is a very narrow view of the world.

Many of the world’s atrocities were justified by the concept of predestination. This was one aspect of Christianity that I always struggled with. I could never understand how Christians could kill others in the name of Christianity. It was interesting to learn that if someone was not “called” to Christianity then it was assumed that they were somehow “predestined” not to be saved.

In summary, I really enjoyed the course and would recommend it to others. I think it is very important to understand how various philosophies were created and how they have influenced the modern world. As ministers, we need these insights and understanding in order to be of most benefit to those we minister to.

Thank you for making this course available!

Rev. Patricia Buben

*******************************

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Spirituality Course

ULC Defining Spiritualism course

I felt the course was a very thought provoking and unique program. By looking into the history and development of western intellectual thought as is associated with the development of religion one can see how this evolution morphs according to what is most accepted at the time.

The tools in the form of information within this course will aid me in dialoging and ministering to skeptical individuals. There are those who rather ridicule people who believe in mysticism. These are individuals that too are looking for meaning in life and when seeking our council we can approach carefully with the knowledge necessary to deal with those driven by the mind.

Placing complete faith in the powers of logic and reason is a method that is inherently flawed. What was determined as logical and reasonable most often changes with time with other discoveries and insights which make original thought void or at least altered to adjust.

By better understanding that mysticism can be considered the truth of all things but that that truth can be understood in different ways through various spiritual paths. I realize I must learn as much as I can about other religions as possible and I see how it can be closely compared to a more mind centered scientific outlook so I can help others on their own journey more effectively.

With this understanding I conclude that essentially religion and “scientific outlook” are alike in their core beliefs. The following was helpful:

God………………………………Energy

Miracles……………..Discoveries

Magic……………………..Scientific Process

Faith……………………..Objective Reality

The truth we speak is exactly the same though the terminology is different. The universe is an interaction of the mind and energy therefore is always changing. No one can KNOW anything absolutely. God transcends limitations such as weight, size, and mass. These are illusions. Suffering is the condition by which joy is possible. Suffering drives us to greatness. Is this illusion’s purpose a growth process?

What is predictable according to Newton has inherent uncertainty according to Heisenberg. One can propose this question to the scientifically minded. How much of what science had proven to be true one hundred years ago is still believed to be true today? About 90% is now proven false. What of today’s proofs will be considered false in the future?

We must remember we are forever learning. We are forever changing.

I realize my purpose is to be one of a guide not the expert who knows the truth. I can give guidance through non-threatening questions. I will plant the seed and perhaps see it germinate but perhaps not. I must be patient to let others blossom according to their understanding on their own journey.

Every ministry is an opportunity to learn.

If we believe our reality is a creation of a collective manifestation of imagination we can realize our expansion continues in search of more perfect conditions existing somewhere else that we cannot currently see.

Physics unite the two predominant views regarding the physical world versus the psychic world. This ultimate philosophy would unite the truth in these two philosophies, as there is truth to both. We limit ourselves with words and need to focus on intuition.

As ULC ministers we accept a more open interpretation of God and God’s Love. We look forward to a day when we realize the oneness of all, to our service to man, not to be envied as a chosen group.

“I am the chosen favorite” is arrogance of Christianity that runs rampant throughout the fundamentalist movement. This attitude is reflected in other fundamentalist groups as well. We are all children of God and we all find our way on our own unique path. Pagan, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, or other. We as ministers must never think our faith is the one true path.

We need to reach out to those in need. The more we give the happier we are. The less we think in terms of what others are doing for us the more we think of what we can do for others the more at peace we are. To love is better than to be loved and through loving we can feel love. To give is better than to receive and through giving, we do receive.

When we fight or struggle against these teaching, diverge from this thought, we ourselves suffer. We need to focus on the positives and on beauty so this is what we see.

We are all God and as such we are all a part of this self-awareness process. Our contribution is our own introspection as we work to honestly come to know the nature of our own souls, so too does God come to know the nature of his/hers. If you want to do God’s work, look honestly into yourself and know that by doing so you are doing the greatest of his work.

When ministering to another use their language such as spirit and soul, physical, psyche, demons, multiple personality disorder, etc. It does not matter which name is attached if the person is deeply touched.

By taking this course I have been given an overview of the influences philosophy has on even those who know nothing about philosophy. This is the way of society in that everything influences everything else.

This realization that I know nothing keeps me humble and ready to listen fully to the person I minister to. I need to put myself aside and always question my motives and be aware of when my ego tries to creep in.

These are only highlighted points of which I found useful and I continue to reread the info to gain deeper perspective of the content.

Rev. Denise

*******************************

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Spirituality

Doctor of Spirituality Mid-Term Essay

Rev. Michael Barth

This course on the miracle of prayer has totally changed my view on prayer. I had always thought that prayer was talking with God but never realized that prayer is also a way we show love to God and how God shows love to us. I did not realize that we have free will to listen to God, but at some point we will all listen to God. The revelation of love was something totally new to me. I thought that this section would explain what love is but could not explain the meaning of love and used the analogy of breathing as why love could not be loved. Learning that love is all-encompassing and that there is no opposite of love really shocked me since I think it terms of opposite like good/evil, wealthy/poor, etc. I learned that we cannot have any fear if we are to show true love. Any self-doubt and/or fear takes away from any true love we try to show.

The way that God is described is a new concept of God to me. I grew up in a non-denominational Christian family and had a pretty traditional of God. To me, God looked like us, was punishing, and to be feared. Like a lot of people, I also thought there was a heaven and hell. Heaven was where the good people went to be with God and the bad people would spend eternity in Hell. The concept of God being all love and all encompassing was a radically different way to look at God. I liked how the love of God is described as pure, perfect, abundant, changeless, limitless, indestructible, joy, and peace. Before taking this course, I never had considered myself a son of God, but now I do. Also, I never considered Gods purpose for me which is to extend love. I have always lived life the way I wanted to and if I didn't spread love, I didn't care. I didn't even care if I had spread hate or other ill-will with other people. Now I know that God's love is all-encompassing and that I need to spread it around this planet.

The blood sacrifices in Lesson 3 got me thinking quite a bit. How and why would God need blood sacrifices to atone for sins? This lesson answered these questions by telling me that blood sacrifice was a human invention. Before this lesson, I thought that God had already condemned this world for all its transgressions that have occurred and God would punish us all. I had never considered the fact that God has already forgiven us. The fact that this course has altered my thinking about is great because now I think that God is a loving and merciful God. I liked how Jesus was used in the course on how perfect innocence cannot be destroyed because perfect innocence is indestructible which gave Jesus the power to overcome death. I liked how Jesus is described as a son of God, like us, and not part of God, unlike some Christian sects who say Jesus is part of the Trinity. Just the fact that Jesus is our brother and will help people bridge the gap between themselves and God is reassuring to me. I too, have prayed in Jesus name and have not understood why we always said "In Jesus name we pray. Amen." Now I know that we are calling on the power of God and remembering and calling on Jesus' promises to us.

In Lesson 4, I learned that I was one of the many people who was using forgiveness to destroy. I would forgive people for harming me because I felt that they were below or inferior to me. Also, I would forgive people if they did something in return such as I will forgive you if you stop stealing from me or give back what you have stolen from me. I have also forgiven people because I felt that they were just like me or were very similar to me and what I had done to others. I also had used the third type of forgiveness described in this lesson as the martyr. I would suffer in silence at the hands of other people and then have people look at what I have to go through. I realize that these types of forgiveness are not true forgiveness because I will be expecting something in return for my forgiveness, will be letting myself still feel guilty about forgiveness, will be self condemning myself, or will be trying to destroy another person. I never knew that true forgiveness involved mercy from God or help from God. Also, I never considered that true forgiveness changes us and not the other person with whom we are forgiving. I also had a real problem with forgiving people who had committed really bad acts or bad behavior. I remember growing up and being in 6th grade when a school shooting took place at an elementary school in our school district in Winnetka, IL. 

After the shooting happened, the person that had been killed was a person that I had met the night before at a baseball game because his older brother was on my team. I was unable to forgive the person who did the shooting because of all the harm that it caused the people involved and the community. The family of the young boy that had been killed was very distraught and was in shambles. This shooting scared me and robbed me of my peace but have learned in this lesson that I need God to help me forgive myself and the shooter. Also, I let this shooter rob me of my peace of mind at the time too. I liked how this lesson teaches how there is no sin and that we have to look through Christ's vision instead and respond with love. I loved the 3 steps of forgiveness in this lesson too which I am working on incorporating into my life right now

The Holy Spirit is a concept that I have always had a problem getting. I have always been trying to figure out what the Holy Spirit really means to me. This course has helped a lot because it gives some symbolism of what the Holy Spirit is, such as fire being purification and wind being inspiration. I realize now that the Holy Spirit can be represented by different symbols. I liked the section on how the Holy Spirit functions. I never knew that the Holy Spirit functions as a completion of the redemption of mankind or for healing our mistaken perception. I learned also that the Holy Spirit is a mediator between our illusions and the truth and also helps us with our separation with God. I know that there are a lot of illusions that I see and need help seeing God's truth in what is happening. Also, I know that for myself, I need the Holy Spirit to help me bridge the separation between God and myself since I definitely am not living the Godliest life possible. I know that the Holy Spirit is teaching me more about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, honesty, and much more since I am allowing the Holy Spirit to work within me. As a kid, I was really impatient, angry, hateful, and would flat out lie to people. As I have gotten older and since taking this course, the Holy Spirit has been teaching me patience, peacefulness, love, and honesty. I still have a long ways to go and still have a lot of teaching from the Holy Spirit, but I am making good progress. I definitely need the Holy Spirit in prayer to bridge the separation between myself and God and also for taking up my false thoughts that I have. During prayer now, I try to be one with God instead of telling God how things need to be done and when to be done.

In this course, I have also learned what true prayer is. I grew up thinking that prayer was when I asked something from God and always thought that prayer began with me. Growing up, I would ask God for many things just like asking Santa Claus to bring me many gifts for Christmas. I never thought that prayer began with God and is a way of communicating with God and being in communion with God. Also, I thought that my prayers were often not answered or heard by God because I never received what I had prayed for. Now I know that prayer is to fix me and my issues and will be done in God's time. Also, my prayers are heard by God and are also answered by God in his way and most likely the answer isn't what I wanted like a fancy car showing up in my driveway or a lot of money appearing in my bank account. Substitution is something I also learned too. I thought that having money or material things would bring me happiness and would often pray for money and material things but realize that I am just substituting things here for real happiness which already exists within me.

I also learned a lot about the different levels of prayers that we use. I never had thought about the different types of prayers as being higher or lower than another type of prayer. I am used to using the prayer of need followed by the prayer of freedom. I cannot recall using prayer of joining or prayers of humility when communicating with God. With the prayer of need, I am usually asking God for help with something like helping me deal with my depression or helping someone I know that is dealing with serious illness. I also was given a thought provoking statement about prayers for our enemies. I never thought before that considering someone as an enemy was also reinforcing my own guilt and rejecting God since I would be rejecting one of God's children. Prayer of freedom is a type of prayer that I have used to help me release guilt that I have over something or to release myself from a self-imposed imprisonment of some kind. I think I might have used some prayer of joining but not in a positive way. I have always prayed for God to do this or that to someone who has harmed me in some way. I now realize that this isn't something that God is going to do to one of his children. I don't think I have used the prayer of humility because of the fear of letting things go. For some reason, I have also felt a need to control things or a certain amount of things in my life but I know now that I have to let go and let God do his work with me so I can go do things that will be in love.

The lesson on the power of prayer was very interesting to me. I have read in the newspaper and have watched the news where scientific studies have shown to heal people and also increase the life expectancy of people who had strong faith and prayer. This lesson explained to me why these studies have shown these results. I had never considered before that each thought that I have produces a chemical reaction in the brain and that the brain does not determine between good and bad thoughts in which to produce these chemical reactions. I also never thought about taking responsibility for my thoughts and try to change the way I think. The sections on unanswered prayers struck home with me since I often believed that my prayers were going unanswered but now realize that my prayers are answered but not the way I wanted them to be answered. I realize that I just maybe afraid to see God's answer or just not be accepting of God's answer that he has provided to me.

I liked the section on magic versus miracles since it explained the difference. I did not realize that magic is an attempt where a person or thing would apparently use super natural powers that were exempted or overruled the laws of the universe whereas miracles appeared within the laws of the universe and are thought to be of divine origin. I never thought that miracles were all the same. I thought that one miracle would be greater than another but the lesson taught me the one miracle is no more difficult or harder than another miracle. I also like how miracles can shift perception. I could use a shift in perception from my ego's thinking to the Holy Spirits thinking. This lesson also pointed out the miracles point out the truth and that no illusion can threaten the truth. This lesson also pointed out that I need to be more miracle ready than I am presently ready for. Unfortunately, I am still thinking a lot from my ego and would not recognize a miracle right now if one were to happen.

This course so far has really jolted the way I have thought about prayer and miracles. I have been inspired by this course to actually start reading the book A Course in Miracles. So far, I have found this course and the book to be of great help to me and I have found it fascinating on how the book came to be. This course is a lot easier for me to understand than the book is due to the way it is written. I have gone to the A Course in Miracles website and now get the newsletter from the Foundation of Inner Peace. This course has really got me thinking on how I think and pray and have located a study group that deals with A Course in Miracles. This course is teaching me a lot and I am glad that I am taking it currently and have been incorporating things in the course into my everyday life which has been very helpful with dealing with issues such as depression, relationships, and guilt that I have. I definitely think this course is well worth the time and effort.

********************

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church  materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Spirituality

Spirituality
Rev. Vicki A Bennett D.D.

As a Buddhist, I am awed when I read the Pali Canon and the knowledge and wisdom of the Buddha's teachings. He was fully awakened and in receipt of all the intrinsic intelligence of the Universe. I aspire to becoming an awakened being that I may bring all whom I come into contact with the same awakening.

I have been on a solidly spiritual path for over 24 years now, but that was not always the case. I am a 59 year old woman who struggled through the lessons of this lifetime for 35 years before I began to see just who and what I really am.

I have tried to instill the knowledge of my journey in my daughter and now my granddaughter. I find that we are so frail until we take the journey within and discover the truth of our existence.

As a student of Buddhism, I have trained myself to be the objective observer so that I may not judge others, but see the lessons that they struggle with and be compassionate. This also allows me to be compassionate with myself and that is the greatest gift of all.

You were so open and honest in your final lesson to us; I will try and be the same. Like you, I did not have a wonderful mother. She was distant and silent, and I struggled to make her love me. I was and still am an artist and she felt that I was a failure even though I graduated from college and went to grad school, taught college and am a success as an artist. This was not good enough for her.

My father abandoned her when I was born, and so to her I was, “just like my father and so she never attached herself to me as I would, like my father, leave her. She remarried when I was 4 and he died of a heart attack when I was 7. I saw the whole thing, he was sitting in front of me, but she never explained anything to me, didn't take me to the funeral, just abandoned me even more completely.

I was constantly seeking affection, someone to pay attention to my emotional needs and unfortunately I was a beautiful young girl and this got me molested by a 25 yr old neighbor when I was 13. I was severely traumatized but again she ignored me. Her solution was to have our family physician prescribe mild tranquilizers for me and force me to live on them for 3 years.

My pattern became to seek out men who were emotionally distant, who would abuse and ignore me and then abandon me. After a second divorce at 33, I was a brilliant artist who suffered from chronic migraines, hated men and had managed to give myself uterine cancer.

After my hysterectomy, I gained weight for the first time in my life. I was 35 and no longer a perfect size 8. Since I had based my entire life on how I looked and how many men I could attract, I was devastated. I actually would cross the street if I saw a good looking man sitting out on his porch for fear that he might cringe if he had to look at me. (And I had only gained 25 lbs.)

Loosing my perfect figure was the perfect catalyst for me to begin my spiritual journey, the why me? became, who am I and why am I here? And this led to a number of synchronicities that became the path that I followed. As I opened myself to a higher consciousness, I was pulled through one door after another and allowed to explore the rooms within myself.

I learned to be completely quiet within, and then to journey out of body, to meditate for hours on end and to see the magic of the universe unfold before my eyes. I flew in my lucid dreams, brought back the wisdom of the clear light beings that woke me and took me on expeditions into the universal consciousness and beyond.

I have been given a gift that is beyond riches. I have come to a place where I am approaching clarity. I am grateful for that gift everyday, thankful that I found this church of open-minded beings that I can commune with over the internet. Happy that people like you have chosen to dedicate themselves to the greater good and hopeful that you will achieve clarity also.

In your final essay to us you wrote:

I have decided that any philosophy written by a philosopher who has never been married (and who if married has not made it through at least ten or more years of marriage) is a philosophy that is less than worthless. Marriage teaches us about ourselves like nothing else. When we live with someone, that someone will eventually learn who we really are, not who we want the world to think we are. This forces us to look at ourselves. This is so traumatic that divorce, as difficult as divorce can be, is often easier than honest introspection. Without this part of life, any philosophy is left wanting because the philosopher has never had to face himself in so honest a way as marriage requires.

This caused me to stop and take pause. I can see the truth in your words and yet I know that this was not true for me. I could not see myself or the person that I would become while I was in an abusive relationship. I kept asking, What is wrong with me? and, How can I make him love me? These were the very same questions that I asked my mother.

When I realized that I could not be whole while I was trying to get someone to love me, I left my husband whom I loved with all my heart and soul. I left him so that I could love me, so that I could discover the woman that I have now become. And now when I perform weddings, I am filled with joy for the couples that I am marrying, I don't feel the sadness of loss, the why am I alone?

I am full, whole and complete. And this was only possible by giving up the need to have someone love me physically and emotionally. Balance is best kept by finding your ground and staying in the moment.

At this moment, I am reading Quantum and the Lotus it is a dialogue between a Buddhist monk (Matthieu Ricard) and a physicist and professor of astronomy (Trinh Xuan). It is the meeting of two minds discussing the reality of reality

The Heart Sutra is the mainstay of Buddhist thought, form is emptiness, emptiness is form meaning that nothing in and of itself arises independently and so everything is devoid of intrinsic being. We are just collections of atoms (energy) each creating our own universe with that energy and colliding with each other so that our realities overlap and evolve. Thank you for sharing your energy.

We are all one.

Rev. Vicki A Bennett D.D.

*******************************

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Spirituality Course

The Insight Into Awareness course is based on the ten insights presented in the Celestine Prophecy. It is a wonderful course that can be easily applied to provide intense spiritual growth. I loved this course!

The First Insight is the awakening. It talks about an awakening that is currently occurring on the planet. There is a critical mass of people who are experiencing their lives as a spiritual unfolding through meaningful and mysterious coincidences. As we begin to pay attention to the coincidences, we notice more of them. This is the realization that the divine is leading us in a particular direction to fulfill our mission. Many times we do not recognize the “blessing in disguise” until later. An example in my life was when I decided to take a class in herbal medicine. I loved it and thought it was fun, so I became involved in an herbal apprenticeship class for 7 months. I still wanted to know more after that 7 month class, so I decided to look for a degree program and found one that fit my needs (and budget). Five years later, I have a doctorate in natural health and will open a business in a few years when the finances allow for it. This will help me fulfill my mission of helping others with their health and stress.

The Second Insight is called the “longer now”. People are becoming more aware of the purpose of our lives on this planet and the real nature of the universe. We are spiritual beings with a spiritual nature. This new focus replaces the preoccupation with technology and the gaining of material comforts. In the past, I was always focused on my career, being promoted and being a super-achiever. At a point in time (when my Dad passed away), I became much more focused on spirituality. My focus increased considerably when my mother passed away a couple of years later.

The Third Insight is about energy and the fact that our universe is composed of dynamic energy, not matter as we had previously thought. This energy is sacred and through projections, people can focus this energy and increase the number and pace of the coincidences. Wherever we focus our energy, is where the energy flows. I became aware of this truth with my Reiki training and am now a Reiki master. With the constant use of Reiki, my understanding of this truth expands.

The Fourth Insight makes us aware that we are in a struggle for power. Too often we cut ourselves off from the source of energy. We tend to compete for other people’s energy by wanting attention. This competition for scarce human energy is what causes conflict. This insight explains why there is conflict within families—especially between parents and children.

The Fifth Insight teaches us that when we tap the source of divine energy within us, all of the conflict and violence ceases. This is the message of the mystics. Once we make this connection, we feel light and a constant sensation of love. I have found one way of making this connection is through meditation and Reiki.

The Sixth Insight show us when we tend to lose connection… usually when we are under stress. We become aware of when we manipulate other people’s energy and steal it. The more we become aware of when we are connected and when we lose connection, the more connected we will stay.

We also must recognize what our parents gave us, how we are using it and then clear the past so we can eliminate our control dramas. This opens us up to aligning with our spiritual path more clearly. I find I lose connection when under stress. I am trying to become more aware of every situation in which I do this.

The Seventh Insight is about engaging the flow of energy once we become aware of our personal mission. Once we are in the flow of energy, the coincidences increase, we daydream and have meaningful dreams to find answers to our questions. At some point there will be synchronicities that when we have a question, it will be answered intuitively by another person. This has occurred for me on several occasions. Usually, the answer comes from my husband a day or so before I ask the question!

The Eight Insight teaches us the interpersonal ethic and how to conduct our relationships. We need to uplift everyone that comes into our lives and be careful not to lose our inner connection with our romantic relationships. It is easy to become co-dependent on another’s energy. It teaches how to project energy to others and handle family situations. This is one insight that I will use from now on.

The Ninth Insight is about our evolution to spiritual beings through synchronistic growth and attainment of higher energy states. We will eventually end the cycle of birth and death and will unite the afterlife dimension with the physical dimension of earth. I work with Reiki to continually attain higher energy states.

The Tenth Insight is about fulfilling our birth vision in remembering how to live this spirituality on earth. This spirituality is what all humans have strived to accomplish. Once we remember that we are here on assignment, we will pull a fuller vision of what we wanted to accomplish while on earth and be able to live it. I have the vision of what I wanted to accomplish and that is helping others through counseling. Living it on a daily basis is a challenge.

As I have a strong interest in the Celestine Vision, I went a little further and found that there is now an Eleventh Insight that talks about extending prayer fields. Every religion and sacred writing refers to the power of prayer, positive thinking, etc. Using a prayer form of holding a vision of intention for a spiritual world, we are helping to transform the world into spiritual form. I have been participating in a global prayer forum where many people hold a positive vision for the world together.

There is a Twelfth Insight under development. Stay tuned!

Rev. Patricia Buben

*******************************

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Spiritual Awareness, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.